1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a front structure of a vehicle body, and more particularly to an open-cowl type front structure of a vehicle body in which a dashboard upper panel and a cowl panel are connected together to form an opening in front of the cowl panel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In order to house wipers below the hood as in a concealed wiper or a semi-concealed wiper, or in order to form an air inlet for introducing air into the passenger compartment, there is generally employed an open cowl structure in which an opening is formed to open upward in front of the cowl panel.
For example, in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication NO. 57(1982)-197369, there is disclosed an open cowl structure in which an air box for housing a wiper driving motor, an air filter and the like is formed by a dashboard lower panel for separating the engine room and the passenger compartment and a dashboard upper panel L-shaped in cross section and provided with a bent front wall portion by extending the dashboard lower panel near the inner surface of the hood and connecting the bend front wall portion to the dashboard lower panel, the air box being opened upward.
Further, there has also been put into practice an open cowl structure in which a wide U-shaped dashboard upper panel is connected on the rear side of the upper end portion of a dashboard lower panel and a cowl plate is disposed to cover the rear two thirds portion of the open upper end of the dashboard upper panel, thereby forming an air box upwardly opening at the front portion thereof by the dashboard upper panel and the cowl plate.
However such conventional open cowl structure is disadvantageous in that the cross member connecting together the right and left wheel aprons and connecting together the right and left front pillars is weak in rigidity and strength because of its open cross section structure, the upper end portion of the dashboard lower panel is apt to be deformed or buckle because of its free upper edge portion, and it is difficult to reinforce the connection between each of the right and left ends of the upper portion of the dashboard lower panel and the corresponding wheel apron.